Page 11 - Time to DeLiver: Getting a Grip on HE report 2015

• In severe cases, patients can become Liver failure and portosystemic shunting
(where circulating blood bypasses the liver)
agitated, suffer hallucinations and lose are required for the development of hepatic
consciousness.3 encephalopathy.14 This allows absorbed
products that would otherwise be detoxified
• National hospital in-patient data to enter the systemic circulation. As a result,
excessive amounts of toxins including
from Portugal confirms that hepatic ammonia and bacterial products are able to
encephalopathy is an important cause of reach the brain causing significant alterations
hospitalisation.12 Real-world data from 295 in neuronal function.14,15
patients treated in the UK reported that the
introduction of appropriate treatment was Some, but not all, episodes of hepatic
associated with a significant decrease in encephalopathy can be triggered by a
one-year hospital admissions, duration of number of factors, including, most commonly,
stay, and costs.13 infection, gastrointestinal bleeding,
constipation and dehydration. Collectively
Up to 40% of these are known as precipitating factors.15
advanced chronic
liver disease 40%
patients (200,000
European citizens)
develop hepatic
encephalopathy
during their
disease course2

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